Wednesday

Dec 14, 2016 at 12:01 AMDec 14, 2016 at 4:52 PM

After nine months of construction, residents and visitors are starting to use the Royal Poinciana Plaza for what its designers intended.

"There are people here sitting and having meetings," said Alexandra Patterson, the on-site project manager for plaza lease holders Up Markets, which bought a controlling interest in the plaza in August 2014. "That’s really what the plaza is designed to do."

Key goals of the project were revitalizing the green space with shade and citrus trees between the two main commercial buildings and adding outdoor seating.

"Yesterday we put out the outdoor furniture," Patterson said last week. "Despite a hurricane (in October) we were able to make deadline."

Smith and Moore Architects and Nievera Williams Landscape Design have been behind the revitalization in the 12-acre plaza. They’ve added shade trees and flowering plants to the north and south sides of the main buildings, installed cast-stone sidewalks and altered the flow of traffic and entrance and exit points. They’ve also restored the courtyard fountains, repainted the buildings, updated electrical systems, and cleaned and resealed the signature black-and-white "checkerboard" terrazzo squares on interior walkways.

Plaza tenants said they’re pleased.

"I think the parking lot looks great. They did a great job," said TooJay’s manager Richard Olsen. "It’s just a matter of people on the island knowing we’re open."

TooJay’s and the Palm Beach Grill stayed open during construction but did not report a shortage of guests.

"It’s actually been a really easy transition," said Grill general manager Brian Douglas. He said that because of the construction, the restaurant had to allow guests in from a door closer to the kitchen. "It gave our guests a different perspective on the restaurant. It allowed our regulars to meet some of the kitchen staff that work so hard."

Overall, he’s excited for the plaza’s future and the new traffic he expects it will bring.

"We’re all feeling the job they’ve done is pretty beautiful," Douglas said. "The more beautiful the space you have, the more excited people are to come and check it out."

Although major construction is finished, Patterson said there will be ongoing tweaking.

"We’re constantly looking to improve," she said. "The plaza is constantly evolving to make things more enjoyable."